Supporting bracket



P 1941- F. D. MILLER SUPPORTING BRACKET Filed Oct. 7, 1939 Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STTES ATENT GFFICE SUPPORTING BRACKET Appiicaticn October 7, 1939, Serial No. 298,417

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bracket for adjustably supporting apparatus such, for example, as a port-able mixing device or agitator for mixing the fluid or other contents of a container or tank. The invention is disclosed in the present instance, by way of illustration, as applied to a mixing device of a known type comprising an electric'motor having a shaft provided with a propeller agitator. Such mixing devices may be detachably mounted on the top of the side wall of the container with the propeller shaft inclined downwardly into the container contents at such an angle to the axis of thecontainer as to produce the most efficient agitation of the contents. For supporting the device in such position its motor is equipped with a bracket having a clamp for attachment to the side wall of the container and having an adjustable mounting for the motor for securing it with its propeller shaft inclined into the container at any desired angle with the container axis.

An object of the present invention is to provide a supporting bracket of the character described in which the parts for releasably looking the mixing device in position have a more positive and powerful action in securing the mixing device against movement in any of its adjusted positions.

Another object is the provision of such a supporting means capable of being manually operated for releasing and locking the mixing device for adjustment, in a more convenient and rapid manner, without the need of tools.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bracket supporting a mixing device on a container wall, in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 211-2 0. of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3a3a of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4. is an enlarged sectional view on the line la-4a of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged perspective views of wedge members detached from the apparatus.

The same reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The present invention is in the nature of an improvement on the supporting bracket disclosed in the patent to F. L. Craddock, Re. 17,683, May 27, 1930, and is adapted for uses similar to those described in said patent. Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown at H! the housing of an electric motor having an elongated driven shaft II, preferably of the telescopically adjustable type described in said patent.. The lower end of the shaft carries a propeller type agitator l2, for mixing the contents of a container, one wall of such container being scctionally shown at 13.

The bracket for adjustably supporting the motor on the container wall comprises, preferably, a substantially U-shaped frame, indicated generally at M. Such frame may be advantageously made as a bronze or steel casting, for example, with one arm it: having a face it of suitable size and shape for engagement with the inside of the container wall. The other arm ll of the clamp is formed with a threaded bearing for a threaded spindle it having a head [9 for clamping engagement with the other side of the container wall. The outer end of the spindle carries a hand wheel 20 by means of which it may be efficiently operated to securely fix the clamp it on the top of the container Wall.

The support or clamp 54 has also an upwardly projecting body 2! strengthened by suitable webs 22. Such parts together support a spherically shaped bearing surface 23 with which is engaged a] second spherically shaped bearing surface 24 formed on the periphery of an annular part, or ring, 25, integrally cast or otherwise attached to the motor housing. Fixed in the clamp body 2! and projecting upwardly through its bearing surface 23, and. through a slot 25a in ring 25, is a tying element or king bolt 28 having a threaded upper end carrying a nut 2i and Washer 28. The lower end of the bolt has the usual head, so that both ends of the bolt are shouldered. The parts so far described are generally constructed as in said prior patent to Craddock, except that in the present instance the nut 27 and washer 28 are spaced at a distance above the bearing surfaces 23 and M to provide for the reception on said king bolt of wedge members for cooperation therewith to lock the bearing surface in adjusted position. The said king bolt nut is preferably of one of the known or suitable varieties of self-locking nuts, such, for example, as the commercial Columbia lock nut.

The locking Wedge means, in the present instance, preferably comprise a pair of inclined wedge members having a relative releasing and locking movement between nut 27 and the motor bearing ring 25, for forcing the latter downwardly in locking engagement with the bearing surface 23. One of these wedge members, as best illustrated in Fig. 6, comprises a body 29 of irregular shape, having a cylindrical bottom face 38 adapted to fit the inner cylindrical face of the bearing ring 25. The inner portion of wedge member 29 is cut away to provide an inclined or wedge surface 3i as shown. At 32 is an opening to receive the king bolt 26,

and the wedge surface is cut away at 33 for a purpose hereafter described.

The other cooperating wedge member 34, as best shown in Fig. 5, is of generally rectangular shape having an inclined or wedge bottom face 35 to rest upon the inclined face 3| of the lower wedge member 29. Member 34 is formed with an elongated slot 35 to loosely embrace king bolt 26 and so afford movement of this wedge member relative to the other of said wedge members. Member 3d is also formed with a boss 31 having a threaded bore to receive a threaded spindle 38 adapted to engage and thrust at its inner end against the side of king bolt 26. Spindle 38 has fixed on its projecting outer end a manually operable hand wheel 39 of such convenient size and arrangement, as shown, that it may be readily gripped and operated by hand alone without resort to a wrench or other tools.

The parts are assembled as shown and described, with nut 21 of king bolt 26 turned down to hold the bearing surfaces 23 and 24 and wedge members 29 and 34 in position in loosely engaging relation with one another, so that bearing ring 23 may be adjusted circumferentially on bearing surface 23, and also rotated about king bolt 26 to inclined shaft ll of the mixing device at any desired angle in the container. Hand wheel 39 is then turned to thrust its spindle 33 against king bolt 26, thereby advancing wedge member 34 relative to wedge member 29. In such motion the upper wedge member 34, confined by the nut and washer of the king bolt, cooperates with wedge member 29, in the known manner of wedge action, to apply to bearing ring 25 a powerful downward thrust, thereby locking bearing surfaces 23 and 25 together with sufficient pressure to resist any force tending to alter the adjusted position of the mixing device. By turning hand wheel 39 in the opposite direction, the bearing surfaces are released from pressure so the mixing device may be adjusted to a different position. To these ends, the angles of wedge members 29 and 34 are preferably sufficiently large to insure that when spindle 38 is backed off, the wedges will not remain jammed but will readily free themselves from one another to loosen the motor ring, as otherwise it might be necessary to tap them loose. A wedge angle of about or slightly more has been found satisfactory.

The invention therefore accomplishes the stated objects. Spindle 38 has a threaded bearing of substantial length in wedge member 34 and is capable of being used to apply a very substantial force of interaction between wedge members 3 3 and 29. These wedge members, by their known mechanical principle, apply an increased and powerful pressure between the bearing surfaces 23 and 24, thus tightly gripping and locking the motor supporting ring against any tendency to move out of its adjusted position. This more efficient gripping of the motor ring, furthermore, is accomplished with increased rapidity and convenience, by merely manual operation of the hand wheel 39. without any necessity for obtaining and manipulating a tool on the nut 2?. Except for the accessible projection of this hand wheel, the parts are compactly disposed, as before, substantially within the outlines of the motor bearing ring 25.

In this compact arrangement, the wedge locking means are located, as described, between the bottom of the motor ring 25 and the nut 2'! at the upper end of the king bolt 26. The wedge means, having a cylindrical surface 30 cooperating with the cylindrical inner surface of the ring, rotates with the ring as the ring is rotarily adjusted about king bolt 26, hand wheel 39 being thus maintained in a conveniently spaced relation with the ring and motor. This location and arrangement of the wedge locking means does not affect in any way the position or elevation of the bearing surface 23 of the support or clamp, the wedge locking means thus operating to apply pressure from an end of the king pin to the supported device or motor ring, for the purpose of forcing it with looking pressure against the bearing 23 of the support, in any previously adjusted position of the ring, without altering the position of the supporting surface 23. The mechanism thus serves to lock the supported motor ring in any position to which it may be adjusted on the supporting clamp, without affecting the position of the clamp.

While the principles of the invention have been disclosed by reference to a preferred embodiment which has been found advantageous in use, it is to be understood that various modifications are contemplated in the particular construction and arrangement of the parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bracket for supporting a portable device for mixing the contents of a container, a clamp for releasable attachment to the top of a container wall, ball and socket bearing surfaces on said clamp and device to provide universal adjustment of said device in said container, cooperating wedge members, a king bolt passing through said bearing surfaces and wedge members, one of said wedge members having an enlarged opening for said bolt and a threaded bearing for a spindle, and a threaded spindle in said bearing and engaging said bolt for effecting relative movement of said members to lock said device in adjusted position.

2. In a bracket for supporting a portable device for mixing the contents of a container, a clamp for releasable attachment to the top of a container wall, cooperating relatively adjustable bearing surfaces on said clamp and device, respectively, for adjustably positioning said device in said container, a pair of wedge members, a bolt passing through said surfaces and members, one of said members having a slot to receive said bolt and having also a threaded bearing, and a spindle threadedly engaging said bearing and said bolt for effecting relative movement of said wedge members and locking said bearing surfaces together.

3. The combination of a supporting device, a supported device, cooperating bearing surfaces on said devices affording a substantial range of tilting adjustment of said supported device, a tying element extending through said devices and having shouldered ends on opposite sides thereof, cooperating wedge members located between and bearing against one of said shouldered ends and said supported device, and manually operable means having a thrust engagement with said element for effecting relative movement of said members for clamping said devices together.

FRANK D. MILLER. 

